Less than 10% of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, as their normal appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
